ASPBAE's COE ESD Program involves connecting the following key concerns: indigenous peoples' education, women's empowerment, national and regional level education policy advocacy, literacy research and advocacy and specific awareness-raising on education for sustainable development. It also involves linking national level activities with sub-regional, regional and international activities.

Main activities involved

The ASPBAE COE ESD Program has the following 5 objectives:

1. To promote ESD to ASPBAE members, partners and networks
2. To ensure 11 national education coalitions in the Asia South Pacific region consider the ESD agenda and ways to integrate it into their advocacy work.
3. To build capacities of national coalitions by linking in-country research and advocacy to regional education advocacy efforts
4. To ensure the concerns of indigenous people, especially indigenous women in relation to education policy are articulated and incorporated into national, regional and international advocacy efforts
5. To act as a model Centre of Excellence for ESD and to document the experience.

Strategies to Achieve these Objectives

ASPBAE's 7 strategies for achieving these objectives will be multi-year and involve new and expanded aspects of existing programs. Funds provided through the ESD COE Program administered by ACCU will be augmented by funds secured by ASPBAE from other sources. The seven key strategies are:

1. Training for 5 national coalitions on education research & advocacy priorities: Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Indonesia and Cambodia.
2. Linking grassroots research & advocacy to sub-regional and regional advocacy via Education Watch and the ‘Real World Strategies' programs.
3. Capacity building of national coalitions and indigenous educators by linking them to sub-regional, regional & international forums.
4. Production of 5 Status Papers: indigenous perspectives on national education policy in 5 countries: India, Indonesia, Philippines, Pakistan and Cambodia.
5. Strengthen ESD agenda in 11 national education advocacy coalitions.
6. Resource mobilisation for sustainability.
7. Progressive monitoring, documentation & evaluation
   

About ASPBAE ASPBAE is a regional association of organisations and individuals engaged in both formal and non-formal adult education, working with and through government agencies, universities, NGOs, community groups, trade unions, indigenous people's and women's organisations, the media and other institutions across the Asia-Pacific. Established in 1964, the network currently comprises around 240 organisations and 100 individuals as members, operating in 30 countries in the Asia-Pacific. Our membership is bound by a common commitment to advance the right of all to learn and go on learning throughout their lives in order to take control of their own destiny. ASPBAE is committed to: build and strengthen an Asia-Pacific movement dedicated to advancing equitable access to relevant, quality and empowering, sustainable education and learning opportunities for all; enhance the role and contribution of adult education in empowering people; promote recognition of the role, contribution and importance of community groups, NGOs and people's organisations in education and sustainable development in the region. ASPBAE's commitment to social justice, gender justice, sustainable human development, equity and peace are explicit in the organisation's philosophy. ASPBAE is the only regional CSO at the moment attending to issues of adult education, and one of the few networks in the Asia-Pacific working on policy advocacy on education in general. ASPBAE has set up a transparent mechanism of governance and accountability. Its highest policymaking body is its General Assembly that convenes every four years. This Assembly elects the President and sub-regional representatives to the Executive Council. Day to day work is coordinated at the Secretariat headed by the Secretary-General assisted by Program Officers located in different parts of the region.

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